Particulate dehydrated potatoes (e.g. granules or flakes) are prepared in large commercial quantities by processes in which potatoes are peeled, cooked, finely divided, and then dried. If granules are desired, finely divided wet mashed potatoes and recycled dried or partially dried potato particles (which serve as nuclei for the granules) are introduced into a stream of heated air which serves to at least partially dehydrate the individual potato particles and to transport the individual particles to a final drying zone (e.g. a heated moving conveyor belt). If potato flakes are desired, a slurry of mashed potatoes is drum dried. Other physical forms of particulate dehydrated potatoes can be prepared by other known techniques (e.g. extruding and drying mashed potatoes).
Processes of preparing dehydrated potatoes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,759,832; 2,780,552; and 2,787,553.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,980,543 and 3,163,546 disclose the preparation of dehydrated potatoes wherein food additives are employed to improve the quality of potatoes after reconstitution of the dehydrated potatoes with milk or water.
At the present time, distilled monoglycerides (i.e. partially refined fat monoglycerides containing at least 90% monoglycerides) are in widespread use as intentional food additives in the preparation of dehydrated potatoes. Although numerous additives have been tested for use as replacements for highly distilled monoglycerides, their performance as measured in terms of product quality have not demonstrated significant advantages over distilled monoglycerides when compared on a cost/performance basis. Even lower purity monoglycerides (e.g. 60% monoglycerides) are not effective substitutes for the highly distilled monoglycerides (i.e. 90% monoglycerides).